# Neven Mimica

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Croatian politician and diplomat

Neven Mimica Mimica in 2013 European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development In office 1 November 2014 – 1 December 2019 Commission Juncker Preceded by Kristalina Georgieva & Andris Piebalgs Succeeded by Jutta Urpilainen (International Partnerships) European Commissioner for Consumer Protection In office 1 July 2013 – 1 November 2014 Commission Barroso II Preceded by Tonio Borg (Health and Consumer Policy) Succeeded by Věra Jourová (Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality) Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia In office 23 December 2011 – 1 July 2013 Prime Minister Zoran Milanović Preceded by Darko Milinović Succeeded by Ranko Ostojić Minister of European Integration In office 28 September 2001 – 23 December 2003 Prime Minister Ivica Račan Preceded by Ivan Jakovčić Succeeded by Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Personal details Born (1953-10-12) 12 October 1953 (age 72) Split, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia (modern Croatia) Party Social Democratic Party Education University of Zagreb

**Neven Mimica** (pronounced [\[nêʋen mîmit͡sa\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Serbo-Croatian); born 12 October 1953) is a Croatian politician and diplomat who has been serving as [European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development](/source/European_Commissioner_for_International_Cooperation_and_Development) in the [Juncker Commission](/source/Juncker_Commission) since 1 November 2014. He was previously the [European Commissioner for Consumer Protection](/source/European_Commissioner_for_Health_and_Food_Safety) in the [Second Barroso Commission](/source/Barroso_Commission) from July 2013 until November 2014 and was in that regard the first European Union Commissioner from [Croatia](/source/Croatia) following its [accession to the European Union](/source/2013_enlargement_of_the_European_Union).

Prior to his role in the [European Union](/source/European_Union), Mimica also held a number of governmental posts in [Croatia](/source/Croatia). Namely, he served as the 3rd [Minister of European Integration](/source/Ministry_of_Foreign_and_European_Affairs_(Croatia)) from 2001 until 2003, in both the [first](/source/Cabinet_of_Ivica_Ra%C4%8Dan_I) and [second](/source/Cabinet_of_Ivica_Ra%C4%8Dan_II) cabinets of the [Social Democratic](/source/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Croatia) [Prime Minister](/source/Prime_Minister_of_Croatia) [Ivica Račan](/source/Ivica_Ra%C4%8Dan). Furthermore, he was appointed a [Deputy Prime Minister](/source/Deputy_Prime_Minister_of_Croatia) in the [cabinet](/source/Cabinet_of_Zoran_Milanovi%C4%87) of [Zoran Milanović](/source/Zoran_Milanovi%C4%87) in 2011 and held the office until resigning to take up the post of European Union Commissioner in 2013.

## Early life and career

The son of primary-school teachers,[1] Mimica graduated from the [University of Zagreb](/source/University_of_Zagreb) Faculty of Economics in 1976. His first job was to handle agricultural exports for the Croatian company Astra.[2]

Between 1979 and 1997 Mimica held positions in various governmental bodies related to foreign relations and foreign trade policies, including several counselling positions at embassies in [Cairo](/source/Cairo) and [Ankara](/source/Ankara). In 1997 he was appointed assistant to the Croatian Minister of Economy and served as Croatia's chief negotiator during the country's accession to the [World Trade Organization](/source/World_Trade_Organization) and the [European Union Association Agreement](/source/European_Union_Association_Agreement); his counterpart at the European Commission was [Catherine Day](/source/Catherine_Day_(civil_servant)).[3][4]

## Political career

In September 2001, Mimica became Minister of European Integration under Prime Minister [Ivica Račan](/source/Ivica_Ra%C4%8Dan), position he held until December 2003.

### Member of the Croatian Parliament, 2004–2013

Mimica was elected to the [Croatian Parliament](/source/Croatian_Parliament) in the [2003 elections](/source/2003_Croatian_parliamentary_election) as a representative of the [Social Democratic Party](/source/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Croatia), and again in 2007. From January 2008 he served as deputy speaker of the Croatian parliament and also as the chairman of the parliament's Committee for European Integration.

In addition to his parliamentary work, Mimica served as consultant to the [Government of Kosovo](/source/Government_of_Kosovo) on establishing European integration structures from 2005 until 2006.[5]

### Deputy Prime Minister, 2011–2013

Ahead of the [2011 elections](/source/2011_Croatian_parliamentary_election), [SDP chairman](/source/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Croatia) [Zoran Milanović](/source/Zoran_Milanovi%C4%87) assigned key preparatory work to Mimica, including the task of drafting public administration bills that later formed the basis of Milanovic's reform agenda.[6] On 23 December 2011 he was selected as one of four [deputy prime ministers](/source/Deputy_Prime_Minister_of_Croatia) in the [government](/source/Government_of_Croatia) of Milanović, responsible for internal, foreign and European policy.

### Member of the European Commission, 2013–2019

On 1 July 2013 Mimica became [European Commissioner for Consumer Protection](/source/European_Commissioner_for_Health_and_Consumer_Policy) in the [European Commission](/source/Barroso_Commission). In this capacity, he was in charge of consumer markets, health technology and cosmetics, product and service safety, financial services and redress, and consumer strategy and enforcement.[7] For the remainder of his time in office, he shepherded through the Council of Ministers and European Parliament draft legislation that had already been proposed. He also oversaw the implementation of existing legislation.[8] [László Andor](/source/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_Andor) was Acting Commissioner in his stead, from 19 April 2014 – 25 May 2014 while he was on electoral campaign leave for the [2014 elections](/source/2014_European_Parliament_election_in_Croatia) to the [European Parliament](/source/European_Parliament).[9] He ultimately decided to not take up his seat.

From 1 November 2014 Mimica was [European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development](/source/European_Commissioner_for_International_Cooperation_and_Development) in the [European Commission](/source/Juncker_Commission) led by [Jean-Claude Juncker](/source/Jean-Claude_Juncker). In this capacity, he is part of the commission's foreign policy around [Federica Mogherini](/source/Federica_Mogherini).[10]

Early in Mimica's tenure, the European Union approved 1.15 billion euros in aid for [West Africa](/source/West_Africa) as part of the five-year [European Development Fund](/source/European_Development_Fund) program in 2015, nearly doubling its previous commitment to a region that is a major source of migrants seeking to enter Europe.[11] In late 2015, he negotiated a 200 euro million aid agreement with [Eritrea](/source/Eritrea) as part of the commission's efforts to reduce the flow from what was, at the time, the source of the third largest number of migrants.[12] Since 2016, he has been working to implement the European Union's 44 billion euro Emergency Trust Fund for Africa which is aimed to entice private investors to some of the world's poorest nations and slow mass migration to Europe.[13]

Also during Mimica's time in office, the European Union suspended direct financial support for the government of [Burundi](/source/Burundi)’s [President](/source/List_of_Presidents_of_Burundi) [Pierre Nkurunziza](/source/Pierre_Nkurunziza) after concluding that it had not done enough to find a political solution to the [2015 post-election unrest](/source/Burundian_unrest_(2015%E2%80%93present)) in the country. The European Union funds about half the annual budget of Burundi and has imposed sanctions on officials close to the president.[14]

In September 2016, Mimica was appointed by [United Nations Secretary-General](/source/United_Nations_Secretary-General) [Ban Ki-moon](/source/Ban_Ki-moon) to serve as member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.[15]

Towards the end of his term, in 2019, Mimica pledged a total of 500 million euros in contributions of the EU to [Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria](/source/The_Global_Fund_to_Fight_AIDS%2C_Tuberculosis_and_Malaria) for the 2020–2022 period.[16]

## Other activities

- [Friends of the Global Fund](/source/The_Global_Fund_to_Fight_AIDS%2C_Tuberculosis_and_Malaria), Member of the Board of Directors (since 2020)[17]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Tihomir Loza (10 July 2013), [Neven Mimica – Cautious Croat](http://www.politico.eu/article/cautious-croat/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Croatia’s ultimate expert](http://www.politico.eu/article/croatias-ultimate-expert/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*, 24 January 2001

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Croatia’s ultimate expert](http://www.politico.eu/article/croatias-ultimate-expert/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*, 24 January 2001

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Tihomir Loza (10 July 2013), [Neven Mimica – Cautious Croat](http://www.politico.eu/article/cautious-croat/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Neven Mimica's declaration of interests](http://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/cwt/files/mimica-doi_en.pdf) [European Commission](/source/European_Commission).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Tihomir Loza (10 July 2013), [Neven Mimica – Cautious Croat](http://www.politico.eu/article/cautious-croat/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Andrew Gardner (3 July 2013), [Croatian commissioner creates first cabinet](http://www.politico.eu/article/croatian-commissioner-creates-first-cabinet/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Andrew Gardner and Dave Keating (5 June 2013), [The consumer policy portfolio](http://www.politico.eu/article/the-consumer-policy-portfolio/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Six commissioners head for EU election campaign trail"](http://euobserver.com/news/123733). *euobserver.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Andrew Gardner and Dave Keating (15 September 2013), [Juncker, the foreign-policy president?](http://www.politico.eu/article/juncker-the-foreign-policy-president/) *[European Voice](/source/European_Voice)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Philip Blenkinsop (14 March 2016), [EU suspends direct aid to Burundi over political crisis](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-eu-idUSKCN0WG15R) *[Reuters](/source/Reuters)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** John Aglionby (17 September 2015), [EU seeks €200m aid agreement with Eritrea](https://www.ft.com/content/4bdf3a4a-5d2f-11e5-a28b-50226830d644) *[Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Robin Emmott and Marilyn Haigh (21 September 2016), [EU's new Africa fund aims to attract private investors to Sahel region](https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-europe-migrants-funding-idUKKCN11R16A) *[Reuters](/source/Reuters)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Philip Blenkinsop (14 March 2016), [EU suspends direct aid to Burundi over political crisis](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-eu-idUSKCN0WG15R) *[Reuters](/source/Reuters)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [Secretary-General Appoints 29 Global Leaders to Spearhead Fight against Malnutrition](https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sga1678.doc.htm) [United Nations](/source/United_Nations), press release of 21 September 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** [Global Fund Donors Pledge US$14 Billion in Fight to End Epidemics](https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/2019-10-10-global-fund-donors-pledge-usd14-billion-in-fight-to-end-epidemics/)[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] [Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria](/source/The_Global_Fund_to_Fight_AIDS%2C_Tuberculosis_and_Malaria), press release of 10 October 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** [Decision of the European Commission on former Commissioner Neven Mimica's post term of office professional activity as member of the Board of Directors of 'Friends of the Global Fund Europe](https://ec.europa.eu/info/system/files/c20209029_en.pdf) [European Commission](/source/European_Commission), statement of 8 July 2020.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Neven Mimica](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Neven_Mimica).

- [Neven Mimica](http://www.sabor.hr/Default.aspx?art=27678&sec=2851) at the [Croatian Parliament](/source/Croatian_Parliament) website

Political offices Preceded by Ivan Jakovčić Minister of European Integration 2001–2003 Succeeded by Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović New office Croatian European Commissioner 2013–present Succeeded by Dubravka Šuica Nominee Preceded by Tonio Borg as European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy European Commissioner for Consumer Protection 2013–2014 Succeeded by Věra Jourová as European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Preceded by Kristalina Georgieva as European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development 2014–present Succeeded by TBD Preceded by Andris Piebalgs as European Commissioner for Development

v t e Barroso Commission II (2009–2014) Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton1 (2010–14) Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding2 (2010–2014) Martine Reicherts (2014) Competition Joaquín Almunia2 (2010–14) Transport Siim Kallas2 (2010–14) Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes2 (2010–14) Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani2 (2010–14) Ferdinando Nelli Feroci (2014) Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration Maroš Šefčovič2 (2010–14) Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro Olli Rehn2 (2010–14) Jyrki Katainen2 (2014) Environment Janez Potočnik (2010–14) Development Andris Piebalgs (2010–14) Internal Market and Services Michel Barnier2 (2010–14) Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou (2010–14) Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud Algirdas Šemeta (2010–14) Trade Karel De Gucht (2010–14) Health John Dalli (2010-12) Tonio Borg (2012–14) Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (2010–14) Financial Programming and the Budget Janusz Lewandowski (2010–14) Jacek Dominik (2014) Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki (2010–14) International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Kristalina Georgieva (2010–14) Energy Günther Oettinger2 (2010–14) Regional Policy Johannes Hahn (2010–14) Climate Action Connie Hedegaard (2010–14) Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle (2010–14) Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor (2010–14) Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström (2010–14) Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Cioloș (2010–14) Consumer Policy Neven Mimica (2013–14) 1 = First Vice President. 2 = Vice President.

v t e Juncker Commission (2014–2019) Vytenis Andriukaitis Andrus Ansip2 Miguel Arias Cañete Dimitris Avramopoulos Elżbieta Bieńkowska Violeta Bulc Corina Crețu Valdis Dombrovskis2 Mariya Gabriel4 Kristalina Georgieva24 Johannes Hahn Jonathan Hill3 Phil Hogan Věra Jourová Julian King3 Jean-Claude Juncker1 Jyrki Katainen2 Cecilia Malmström Neven Mimica Carlos Moedas Federica Mogherini2 Pierre Moscovici Tibor Navracsics Günther Oettinger Maroš Šefčovič2 Christos Stylianides Marianne Thyssen Frans Timmermans2 Karmenu Vella Margrethe Vestager 1 = President. 2 = Vice President. 3 = King replaced Hill on 19 September 2016. 4 = Gabriel replaced Georgieva on 7 July 2017.

v t e European commissioners from Croatia Neven Mimica Dubravka Šuica

Authority control databases International VIAF National Poland

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Neven Mimica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neven_Mimica) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neven_Mimica?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.